Eyedrop applicator attachment

ABSTRACT

An eyedrop applicator attachment for attachment to a bottle having a large or small threaded neck. The applicator attachment is provided with a hollow cylindrical body, and an eyecup integral with the body at one end. The other end of the body has an opening, and interiorly of the body are two female threads, located coaxially and of different diameters, the threads with the larger diameter being adjacent the open end of the body. Thus, the applicator attachment may be attached to a squeeze bottle with a larger diameter neck, or to a squeeze bottle with a smaller diameter neck. In an alternate embodiment, axially of the threads for engagement with the neck of a bottle, there is an extension having a third female thread, into which a plug is threaded to provide a closure for the nozzle of a bottle attached to the cylindrical body. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the eyecup is intergral with the neck of a bottle, which may be of molded plastic, and provided with a snap fitting for receiving a nozzle insert, there being a cylindrical extension between the neck portion of the bottle and the eyecup which is internally threaded to receive a stopper which is in part hollow to receive and engage with a surface thereof the end of the drop-forming nozzle. 
     There are also provided an alternate embodiment in which a stopper and an attachment body have mating double threads, and the stopper has gripping means on the exterior or interior thereof. Further, a combined lid and stopper may be provided, with provision for relative sliding and rotatable movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an eyedrop applicator attachment forsqueeze-type eyedrop bottles, and to an integral bottle and eyecupconstruction.

There have been provided various constructions of attachments forbottles for dispensing eyedrops which include an eyecup intended to holdopen one or both of the eyelids, so as to enable drops which aredispensed from the squeeze-type bottle, or the like, and to enter intothe eye. West U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,818 provides a medicinal applicatorincluding an eyedrop dispensing nozzle, an eyecup, and a threaded capfor attachment to the neck of a bottle. Mock U.S. Pat. No. 2,585,264,Erwin U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,898, and Mings U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,446 providegenerally similar constructions. In addition, McClure Design 248,448provides an eyedrop applicator attachment for a squeeze bottle, andincluding a cap for the end of the eyecup. While these constructionshave been generally effective in enabling the dispensing of eyedropsinto the eye of the patient with minimum loss and with substantialeffectiveness, there have been found to be problems in the commerciallysupplying eyecup attachments, and therefor the utilization of them.

Eyecup attachments are not generally provided with the conventionalsqueeze-bottle eyedrop container which has an attached drop dispensingnozzle. Thus, it is left to the purchaser to acquire from a separatesource an eyecup attachment for attachment to the squeeze bottle for theeyedrops.

It has been discovered that there are a large number of producers ofsmall plastic bottles for use as eyedrop dispensers, and that there havenow been substantially standardized several different sizes of suchbottles, designated in the trade as Size No. 13 and Size No. 15. TheSize No. 13 is provided with threads on the neck of the bottle having anouter diameter of approximately 13 mm; the Size No. 15 bottle isprovided with threads on the neck having an outer diameter just slightlysmaller than 15 mm. In addition, it is now the universal practice forbottles of medication to be produced with some form of tamper-proofconstruction, and in some cases this is an outstanding bead at the endof the neck, to accommodate and to cooperate with a tamper-proofingseal. It has been determined that the outside diameter of such beads onthe Size No. 13 bottles is not always small enough to fit inside theconventional closure cap for the Size No. 15 bottle.

Substantially all of the known above noted Size No. 13 and Size No. 15bottles have the same pitch threads, which is 0.083 threads per inch. Ithas been found, additionally, that the distance from the end of thethread of the bottle which is at the distal end of the neck to the endof the bottle, and to the shoulder on an inserted dropper nozzle is adimension which varies from 0.03 to 00.1 inches. Another importantaspect of the eyedrop applicator bottles now being marketed is thedistance from the noted tamper-proof seal to the above noted shoulder onthe nozzle, which on the Size No. 13 bottles is 0.35 inches. Theforegoing factors necessarily enter into the construction of anyeyedropper attachment which can be attached to substantially all of thevarious eyedropper bottles now being sold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided an eyedrop applicator attachment having a cylindricalbody with an open end, with a relatively large diameter female threadadjacent the open end, and with a smaller female thread inwardly of thefirst noted thread. The axial length of the portion of the body havingthe larger thread is small, so as to engage approximately one turn ofthe thread on a bottle having a larger diameter neck; consequently abottle of smaller diameter neck may be inserted into the body and engagethe smaller threads, without interference between the shoulder of thebottle and the attachment which would prevent their engagement. Aneyecup is integral with and extends from the opposite end of the body:either a bottle having relatively larger or relatively smaller threadsmay have the attachment screw threadedly attached to it.

In an alternate embodiment, the cylindrical body of the attachment issomewhat extended at the end opposite the above noted open end, and hasa female thread, to which a threaded stopper may be joined, the stopperengaging an extending drop-forming nozzle of an eyedrop dispensingbottle to seal it. The male thread of the stopper and the female threadof the cylindrical body engaged by the stopper may be double threads,for greater security of engagement between these parts.

There is also disclosed a bottle and eyecup which are integrally formed,with a nozzle insert for snap-fitting engagement into the mouth of thebottle: an axial extension is between the neck of the bottle and theeyecup, having female thread, to which a hollow stopper may be joined,the hollow stopper having a surface for engaging and closing off theorifice of the nozzle.

The stopper may be provided with knurling on the outside forfacilitating turning by the fingers, or be of thimbleshape, with aninterior protrusion, for the same purpose, or may have both of theseconstructions.

Another embodiment of an eyedrop applicator attachment includes acylindrical body having the above noted first and second threads ofdifferent sizes for engaging different size eyedrop bottles, a thirdthread in which a stopper is engaged, the stopper being within an eyecupextending from the cylindrical body, and a lid or cap which engages theedge of the eyecup in a snap-fit, the lid having a central openingreceiving the stopper for axial and rotatable movement relative to thelid.

Among the objects of the present invention are the provision of aneyedrop applicator attachment capable of being used with substantiallyall of the eyedropper bottles now being produced.

Another object is to provide an eyedrop applicator attachment havingserially arranged internal threads of different size, with the largersize adjacent the open end of the attachment, for receiving bottles ofdifferent sizes.

Yet another object is the provision of an eyedrop applicator attachmentcapable of attachment to substantially any of the eyedrop applicatorbottles now being produced, and which is provided with a closure stopperfor the bottle.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a combinedeyedrop dispenser bottle, eyecup and stopper.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the presentinvention will be readily understood from the following specification,claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an eyedrop applicator attachment inaccordance with the present invention, and having a standard bottle ofsmall diameter neck attached to it.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but having a large diameter neckbottle attached to it.

FIG. 3 is a view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, with parts in section, of an alternateembodiment of an eyedrop applicator attachment in accordance with thepresent invention, and including a stopper.

FIG. 4A is an elevational view of the upper portion of an eyedropbottle.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the stopper shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a combined bottle andeyecup in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view taken on the line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an exploded cross-sectional view of another embodiment of aneyedrop applicator in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of still another embodiment of aneyedrop applicator in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like or corresponding referencenumerals are used for like or corresponding parts throughout the severalviews, there is shown in FIG. 1 an eyedrop applicator 10, preferably ofmaterial which is impact resistant, such as soft polypropylene, whichincludes a hollow cylindrical body 12 having an open outer end 14.Adjacent the open outer end 14 is a female thread 16 of relatively largediameter Also on the interior of the hollow cylindrical body 12 is asecond female thread 18 which is of smaller diameter than the firstfemale thread 16. As shown, the second female thread 18 is on theinterior of the hollow cylindrical body 12 axially of the first femalethread 16, remote from said open outer end 14. The axial extent of theportion of the hollow cylindrical body 12 in which the first femalethread 16 is located is relatively small, being long enough toaccommodate approximately one turn of the first female thread 16.

An eyecup 20 extends from the hollow cylindrical body 12, flaringoutwardly and being of generally elliptical shape, as shown in FIG. 3.The portions 22 and 24 of the lip of the eyecup 20 which are at the endsof the major axis of the generally elliptically shaped eyecup 20 extendfurther from the small end 26 of eyecup 20 than do the portions 28, 32which are at the ends of the minor axis of the eyecup 20. Eyecup 20 atits upper, smaller end is generally cylindrical, so as to merge with thecylindrical body 12 opposite the open outer end 14 thereof. In thehollow body 12, opposite the outer end 14, there is a flange 34 havingan opening 36 therethrough, and located centrally thereof. Further, atthe juncture of the first threads 16 and the second threads 18, there isa shoulder 38.

Shown in FIG. 1 is a bottle B-1 of conventional construction, as is usedfor the dispensing of eyedrops. It is made of a suitable deformableplastic material, so that it may be squeezed, and is generally eithercylindrical or elliptical in horizontal cross-section. The bottle B-1has a neck 101. A nozzle 103 is seen extending axially beyond the end ofthe neck 101, having a duct 105 extending axially thereof. On the neck101 of bottle B-1 is a male thread 107 which is in threaded engagementwith the female thread 18 for approximately one turn, there beingapproximately two turns of the thread 107, as shown. The bottle B-1 hasa shoulder 103a (see FIG. 4A) which engages the flange 36, which therebyserves as a stop.

When the bottle B-1 is squeezed, the liquid therein will flow from theduct 105 of nozzle 103 as discrete drops, and the eyecup 20 enables theliquid to flow from the applicator and into the eye of the person usingthe bottle B-1 and applicator attachment 10.

There is shown in FIG. 2 the eyedrop applicator attachment 10 having abottle B-2 threaded into the hollow cylindrical body 12, and engagingthe first female thread 16. The thread 117 of the bottle B-2 is oflarger diameter than the thread 107 of the bottle B-1. The shoulder ofthe bottle B-2 engages the shoulder 38, which serves as a stop for thethreading engagement of bottle B-2 with eyedrop applicator attachment10. The nozzle 103 will be seen extending through the hollow cylindricalbody 12, so that drops issuing from the duct 105 thereof will pass intothe eye of the user, through the eyecup 20.

In FIG. 4, there is shown an attachment 50, which is different from theattachment 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that there is provided acylindrical hollow body 52 having a cylindrical extension 54 on theopposite side of the flange 34 from the threads 16 and 18, which ispreferably the same exterior diameter as the body 52. The cylindricalextension 54 has a third female thread 56 therein, and a closure 60 hasa male thread 62 thereon in engagement with the female thread 56. Anozzle 103 of a bottle is shown in phantom lines, nozzle 103 forming apart of either a bottle B-1 or B-2 which is engaged, respectively, witheither the female thread 16 or the female thread 18. The stopper 62 ishollow, having an internal surface 64 located inwardly of the end 66thereof. The surface 64 is at a depth slightly less than the extent ofthe shortest nozzle to be used with attachment 50. The stopper 60 willbe seen to have been threaded into the attachment 50 until the surface64 thereof has engaged with the end of the nozzle 103, to thereby sealthe duct therein. If the bottle to which the attachment 50 has beenattached has the tip of its nozzle 103 axially closer to the flange 34,the stopper 60 will be capable of being threaded further inwardly sothat its end 66 approaches more closely the flange 34, and so that thesurface 64 thereof can engage the tip of nozzle 103 and seal the ducttherein.

Referring to FIG. 4A, there is shown the upper portion of a bottle Bhaving a threaded neck 101 and nozzle 103. The thread 107 has its end107a spaced from the end 101a of neck 101. The nozzle 103 will be seento have a shoulder 103a: the distance from the end 107a of thread 107 tothe shoulder 103a varies from 0.03 to 0.1 inches in different bottles.Further, the shortest distance on any production eyedropper bottle fromthe tamper-proof seal 109 to the shoulder 103a is 0.350 inches. Thetotal axial length of the first female thread 16 and the second femalethread 18 is, therefore, made to be this same distance. Allowing therequired axial lengths for the threads 16 and 18, individually, anddiminishing that length by the aforementioned distance between end 107aof thread 107 and shoulder 103a, there could result an insufficientengagement, of only about one-half turn, between the male threads on thebottle B: to provide for greater security, an engagement of the threadsthrough almost a fill turn (approximately 324° of rotation) is achievedby causing the female thread 16 to be extended towards the end 15 of thecylindrical body 12. Thus, at the entry end 16a of the thread 16, thethread has been helically extended with its thickness reduced toapproximately one-third of the normal thread thickness of 0.045 inches.Similarly, at the entry end 18a of thread 18 adjacent shoulder 38,thread 18 is helically extended with its thickness reduced.

The stopper 60 is shown in FIG. 5, and there may be seen the male thread62 thereon, and the surface 64. The stopper 60 includes afinger-engaging portion 68 at its upper end, which is generally planar,and as shown in FIG. 6, extends substantially entirely across thegenerally lower cylindrical body portion 69.

A further embodiment of an eyedrop applicator in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in which the applicator 70includes a bottle 72 having a neck 74 with an internally directed flange76. An extension 78 of the neck 74 has a female thread 80 within it andan eyecup 82 at its outer end. A nozzle insert 84 is provided having agroove 86 in a skirt portion 88, with a nozzle 90 extending upwardlyfrom a shoulder 92 The insert 84 is assembled to the bottle 72 by thesnap-fit engagement of flange 76 into groove 86. A stopper 160 isprovided, generally similar to the stopper 60, but having a somewhatdifferent configuration of the hollow portion thereof. The surface 164of stopper 160 engages and seals the end of nozzle 90 when thread 162thereof engages the thread 80, and the stopper 160 is turned down intoextension 78. The end 166 engages the shoulder 92 in sealingrelationship. In addition, there is provided a cap 92 for engaging withand closing off the open end of the eyecup 82.

Another embodiment of an eyedrop applicator attachment in accordancewith the present invention is shown in FIG. 9, wherein there is shown aneyedrop applicator attachment generally designated 200 and including acylindrical body 212 having an integral eyecup 220, which is generallysimilar to the cylindrical body 52 shown in FIG. 4. The eyecup 220flares outwardly like eyecup 230 and is positioned so that its narrowdimension is seen in this figure. There is provided in body 212 a doublethread made up of a first thread 256a and a second thread 256b whichhave their termini spaced 180° from each other, and the turns of whichare interspaced along the axis of cylindrical body 212. The stopper 260is provided with mating double threads 266a and 266b. Although doublethreads have been illustrated, it will be apparent that other multiplethreads may be provided, such as triple threads.

There is shown in phantom lines a nozzle 103a extending from a bottlehaving a Size No. 13 neck and therefore engaging with the second set ofthreads 218. There is also shown in phantom lines a nozzle 103b of aSize No. 15 bottle which will nave the threads thereof engaged with thelarger diameter thread 216. As is apparent, the end of the nozzle 103aextends further into the body 212 than does the nozzle 103b. The stopper260 has a transverse wall 264 which is spaced inwardly from the entryend 267 thereof. In order to cause the lower surface of the transversewall 264 to engage and seal the duct within the nozzle 103a or thenozzle 103b, certain dimensional relationships are established. Theaxial length of the threads 256a and 256b on the interior wall of thecylindrical body 212 is approximately at least 0.4 inches, mace toaccommodate the various lengths of the nozzles 103a and 103b. To permitengagement of the threads 266a and 266b on the stopper 260 with thethreads 256a and 256b in the body 212, and to enable the engagement ofthe wall 264 with the end of the nozzle 103a or 103b, the distance fromthe bottom of the transverse wall 264 to the end 267 of stopper 260 isat most approximately 0.1 inches, and preferably is 0.11 inches.

Use of the above noted double male and double female threads on thestopper 260 and cylindrical body 212, respectively, insures uniformpressure and interference between the stopper 260 and the nozzle 103a or103b, thereby insuring sealing of the duct on the nozzle 103a, 103b withonly a half turn of the stopper 260. The plastic material of which thestopper 260 is made, as well as that of the hollow body 212 and theeyecup 220, is of a somewhat yielding nature, so that there is therebyobtained some compression of the transverse wall upon engagement withthe nozzle 103 or 103b.

The stopper 260 will be seen to have a generally cylindrical body 262,although the upper portion 268 thereof may be outwardly flaring, havinga rim 270 defining an open end, which is remote from the double thread266a, 266b. The provision of a stopper having an open end safeguardsagainst injury to the eye of a person who may forget to remove thestopper when attempting to dispense drops into the eye: there is nocentrally disposed element to strike the eye. If the stopper 260 is notremoved before attempting to dispense eyedrops from the bottle, only therim 270 will strike the eye at a location remote from the sensitivecornea. A generally axially extending protrusion 272 extends inwardlyinto the well 274 provided by the open ended body 262 inwardly on rim270: body 262 will be seen to be generally in the form of a thimble. Afinger may be inserted into the non-cylindrical well 274, and byengaging the protrusion 272, cause rotation of the stopper 260. The well274 will be seen to have, in effect, unequal major and minor transverseaxes, which enable the well to serve as an internal finger grippingconstruction. In addition to the internal finger gripping constructionprovided by the protrusion 272, there is provided on the exteriorsurface of the body 262 knurling 276, to enable a person to rotate thestopper 260 by gripping it on this knurling and rotating it.

There is also shown in FIG. 9 a snap-fit lid 280 which is ofsubstantially the size and of the generally elliptical eyecup 220, andwhich will engage the end 222 of eyecup 220, which will be seen to berounded to avoid injury to a person using the attachment disclosed inFIG. 9.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown an eyedrop applicatorattachment generally designated 300, and comprising a cylindrical body212 and integral eyecup 220. The body 212 and eyecup 220 are shownrotated 90° from the position thereof shown in FIG. 9, so that thewidest extent of eyecup 220 is shown. A combined stopper and lid 310 isprovided, comprising a lid 312 having a plate 314 with a peripherallydepending flange 316, and a central opening 318. As will be understood,the lid 312 is made of a suitable yielding plastic material, and is ofthe same size and shape as the end 222 of eyecup 220.

A stopper body 360 is provided, of generally hollow cylindricalconfiguration, and having a transverse wall 364 spaced from the adjacententry end 367 thereof; stopper body 360 has threads 366a and 366b forengagement with the threads 256a and 256b of the cylindrical body 212.Axially spaced on the exterior of stopper 360 are beads 372 and 374.Between the beads 372 and 374, the exterior of the stopper 360 isunobstructed and of the same or slightly smaller diameter than theopening 316, so that the stopper 360 can be slid lengthwise through androtated on the opening 318. Thus, after a bottle has been fully engagedwith the threads 216 or 218, the lid 310 is caused to snap-fit onto theend of the eyecup 220, and then the stopper 360 may be rotated to engagethe threads 366a and 366b with the threads 256a and 256b, the rotationcontinuing to cause the lower surface of the transverse wall 364 toengage the nozzle 103 or 103b. The stopper shown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10may be used with the bottle 70 of FIG. 7.

There has been provided an eyedrop applicator attachment which iscapable of being used interchangeably with any of the availableeyedropper bottles now being produced, and which have been substantiallystandardized as to sizes. The attachment herein provided may be soldseparately for use with available eyedrop medication bottles, and may bereadily detached after exhaustion of one bottle, and attached to areplacement eyedrop medication bottle. The attachment herein providedmay be made of readily available materials, and produced on conventionalmachinery, at low cost.

There is also provided an eyedrop applicator attachment with provisionfor a closure or stopper, so as to avoid leakage, which may be used withthe attachment when it is attached with either of the commonly usedsizes of eyedrop bottles, and ensure sealing engagement with the end ofthe nozzle thereof. Thus, there is provided a construction in which theattachment may be utilized with any of the currently produced eyedropmedication bottles, and which will enable sealing of the bottle andtherefore permit the attachment to remain in place until the contents ofthe bottle have been exhausted.

There has been provided herein a combined bottle for eyedrop medication,a drop-forming nozzle and eyecup, with closure and cap, all constructedto provide for both retention of the eyedrop medication againstevaporation during periods of non-use, against contamination, andagainst the entry of foreign matters into the eyecup.

The claims and the specification describe the invention presented, andthe terms that are employed in the claims draw their meaning from theuse of such terms in the specification. Some terms employed in the priorart may be broader in meaning than specifically employed herein.Whenever there is a question between the broader definition of such termas used in the prior art and the more specific use of the term herein,the more specific meaning is meant.

What is claimed is:
 1. An eyedrop applicator attachment for a bottlehaving a drop forming nozzle extending beyond male threads on the bottlecomprising:(a) a cylindrical body having means thereon for engagingeither a relatively large or relatively small diameter thread on abottle having either a relatively large or a relatively small neck, and(b) an eyecup diverging outwardly and axially from said cylindrical bodyadjacent said second thread means, and having an edge remote from saidcylindrical body, said cylindrical body having second female threadmeans therein axially of said first mentioned thread means for engaginga male thread, and in combination therewith, a stopper having externalthread means for engaging said second female thread means.
 2. An eyedropapplicator attachment for a bottle with an externally threaded neck,theattachment comprising: a hollow cylindrical body with an open outer endfor entry thereinto of the neck of a bottle, a first female thread onthe interior of said body adjacent the open outer end thereof, a secondfemale thread of smaller diameter than said first thread on the interiorof said body axially of said first female thread and remote from saidopen outer end, and means for enabling liquid to flow from saidapplicator when the neck of the bottle is threadedly engaged with onesaid female thread, a flange in said body at the inner end of saidsecond thread, an aperture in said flange, a third female thread in saidbody inwardly of said flange and axially between said flange and saidliquid flow enabling means, whereby said eyedrop applicator attachmentmay be attached either to a bottle having a neck with an external threadhaving a size to engage said first thread or to a bottle having a neckwith external thread having a size to engage said second female thread,and a stopper having a male thread engaging said third female thread. 3.An eyedrop applicator attachment for a bottle with an externallythreaded neck,the attachment comprising: a hollow cylindrical body withan open outer end for entry thereinto of the neck of a bottle, a firstfemale thread on the interior of said body adjacent the open outer endthereof, a second female thread of smaller diameter than said firstthread on the interior of said body axially of said first female threadand remote from said open outer end, and means for enabling liquid toflow from said applicator when the neck of the bottle is threadedlyengaged with one said female thread, a flange in said body at the innerend of said second thread, an aperture in said flange, a third femalethread in said body inwardly of said flange and axially between saidflange and said liquid flow enabling means, whereby said eyedropapplicator attachment may be attached either to a bottle having a neckwith an external thread having a size to engage said first thread or toa bottle having a neck with external thread having a size to engage saidsecond female thread, and a stopper having a male thread engaging saidthird female thread, said stopper comprising means for engaging saidflange.
 4. An eyedrop applicator attachment for a bottle with anexternally threaded neck,the attachment comprising: a hollow cylindricalbody with an open outer end for entry thereinto of the neck of a bottle,a first female thread on the interior of said body adjacent the openouter end thereof, a second female thread of smaller diameter than saidfirst thread on the interior of said body axially of said first femalethread and remote from said open outer end, and means for enablingliquid to flow from said applicator when the neck of the bottle isthreadedly engaged with one said female thread, a flange in said body atthe inner end of said second thread, an aperture in said flange, a thirdfemale thread in said body inwardly of said flange and axially betweensaid flange and said liquid flow enabling means, whereby said eyedropapplicator attachment may be attached either to a bottle having a neckwith an external thread having a size to engage said first thread or toa bottle having a neck with external thread having a size to engage saidsecond female thread, and a stopper having a male thread engaging saidthird female thread, said stopper comprising means for engaging andsealing the dropper of a bottle when said attachment is threaded onto abottle.